Petri
Kuribayashi, later Petri, was a Japanese camera maker. History Early period Most sources say that the company was founded as Kuribayashi Seisakusho in 1907 by Kuribayashi Yōji (栗林庸二), manufacturing tripods and dark boxes. Baird, p. 11, Lewis, p. 184 and this page of the Japan Memory website. Its first camera was the Speed Reflex supposedly released in 1919. Baird, pp. 13 and 40–2. Lewis, p. 36. However a Petri catalogue dated August 1981 reportedly says that the company was founded in 1918 and that the Speed Reflex was introduced in 1922. See this page by Sumida Petri-dō. Thirties http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/469721593_79311f49ce_t_d.jpg The company became Gōshi-gaisha Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho ( 栗林写真機械製作所) in 1930. Date: Baird, p. 15. Baird gives Shashin instead of Shashin Kikai. From 1929 to the war many cameras made by the company were called First and advertised as "made by First Camera Works". These First cameras were distributed by Minagawa Shōten, and it seems that "First Camera Works" was nothing more than a name and logo forged by Minagawa for advertising purpose (see the discussion about the Camera Works endings). Baird, p. 15, suggests that First Camera Works was a manufacturing company jointly owned by Kuribayashi and Minagawa, but it seems that no actual company was called this way. (The "First Camera Works" name and logo were used again after the war for the First Six and Firstflex cameras made by Tokiwa Seiki and again distributed by Minagawa.) See the First Six and Firstflex leaflet reproduced in butkus.org's Orphan Camera website. The Kuribayashi company had an address in Adachi (Tokyo) in 1943. This address was Tōkyō-to Adachi-ku Ueda-machi 1807 (東京都足立区上田町1807). Source: . It is said that this was only the second factory, the offices and main building being in Shitaya (Tokyo), and that this Shitaya building was destroyed by an aerial bombing in 1945. Baird, p. 28. Postwar period The company changed status in 1949 and became K.K. Kuribayashi Shashin Kikai Seisakusho ( 栗林写真機械製作所) in 1949. Transition visible between two advertisements dated 1949 reproduced in , p. 178. Baird, p. 30, omits the word "Kikai" by mistake. At that time the headquarters were in Tokyo, Chiyoda and the plant in the Adachi factory mentioned above. The address of the office was Tōkyō-to Chiyoda-ku Kanda Nishiki-chō 3–16 (東京都千代田区神田錦町3の16). The plant was at the same place as before, but the address was now Tōkyō-to Adachi-ku Umejima-chō 1807 (東京都足立区梅島町1807). Source: advertisements dated 1949 reproduced in , p. 178. The company did not renew its cooperation with Minagawa (owner of the name "First"). It had to look for another brand name and finally settled on Karoron and Petri. Kuribayashi made a range of 4.5×6 folders under these names and a single 6×6 TLR model called Petriflex. Its first 35mm camera was released in 1954 and its first 35mm SLR in 1959. The company became Kuribayashi Shashin Kōgyō K.K. (栗林写真工業 ) in 1956. Dates: Baird, p. 32. In 1962, it took the name of its products and became Petri Camera K.K. (ペトリカメラ ). In 1968, it released the Petri Color 35, a very compact camera said to be inspired from the Rollei 35. Petri Camera went bankrupt in 1977 or 1978. It was revived as Petri Kōgyō K.K. (ペトリ工業 ) but it abandoned camera production some time thereafter. It seems that the company still exists (2007) and makes telescopes. The company seems unrelated to the current Kuribayashi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. founded in 1944. See the chronology of the company's website. 35mm film Rangefinder, fixed lens * Petri 2.8 Color Corrected Super * Petri 7s * Petri Computor 35 Viewfinder * Petri Color 35 SLR * Petri Flex * Petri Penta * Petri FT http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/457981692_9ab557801a_t_d.jpg * Petri FTE * Petri FT II * Petri FT EE 120 film 4.5×6 folder * Semi First * U Semi First * BB Semi First * Semi Rotte * BB Semi Rotte * Baby Semi First * BB Baby Semi First http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/322091512_dd0b836d56_t.jpg * Auto Semi First (rangefinder) * Hokoku * Mizuho * Kuri * Lo Ruby (unconfirmed) * Petri * Karoron and Karoron S * Petri RF and Karoron RF * Petri Super and Petri Super V 6×6 folder * First Six * U First Six 6×9 folder * First Roll * First Center 6×6 TLR * First Reflex * Petriflex 127 film * Eagle (4×6.5 folder) * Speed Pocket (4×6.5 folder) * Baby First (3×4 or 4×4, unknown) * Molby (3×4 uncoupled rangefinder) Plate film * Speed Reflex (4.5×6cm, 6.5×9cm or 9×12cm SLR) * First (6.5×9cm folder) * First Etui (6.5×9cm folder) Notes Bibliography * * * * Links In English: * Petri user manuals at butkus.org's Orphan Cameras In French: * Petri page at Collection G. Even's site * Cameras and User manuals at www.collection-appareils.com In Japanese: * Petri and the Petri Research Club at Uyūdō * Camera stories 2: Petri (you must scroll the page down) at Japan Family Camera Category: Japanese camera makers Category: Japanese lens makers *